Maximum Ride: Saving the World?
by tgypwya
Summary: War is raging, and the Flock is caught in the middle. As everything goes to hell, Max has to decide: Is the only way to save to world... to destroy it? Rated T for violence, mostly. Discontinued.
1. As The World Burns

**Maximum Ride: Saving the World?**

**Part One: Rebellion**

**Chapter 1: As the World Burns...**

**"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." -JFK**

---------------

Iggy couldn't sleep. For some reason, he felt like he had to be awake. So he silently sat in the tree, listening to the sounds of Chicago at night. He could hear the rest of the Flock breathing as they slept in trees nearby. He heard the splashing of Buckingham Fountain on the other side of the park. He heard a motorcycle pull up, stop, and drive away. And this was one of those moments– he wished he could see all of this. It made him feel terrible, but he pushed the thought out of his head and just listened. And he nearly fell off of his branch when an explosion shook the night.

---------------

"Emergency crews have finally gotten the enormous blaze in Chicago under control, but not after it destroyed most of the city. The death toll is unknown, and approximately 30 people are currently being treated for injuries. The fire supposedly ignited all over the city at about the same time, about 2:30 A.M., presumably with some sort of firebomb; the nationwide rebel group Alien Youth has claimed responsibility for the attack. We have Mel Sanders at the scene now, let's take it to hi–" I shut of the TV.

"Hey, I was watching that," Angel complained.

I didn't care. We had almost been killed by that fire, and I was pretty pissed. Not to mention that it was the Alien Youth– _again_. I hated them, though I wasn't sure why.

_Your hate is grounded in fear,_ said the Voice. _You hate them because you are afraid of them. Learn to conquer you fear, and your hate will..._

_Shut up_, I thought back. _I hate them because they're trying to tear down the _government_, for crying out loud!_ _That's just _wrong!_ I mean, okay, so the government may not be that great, and yeah, they could probably be doing a better job, but…_ Hmm. I couldn't think of a "but". Maybe their cause was a bit nobler that I had thought. Just a little bit. But I'm not about to go burn down a city with them. And that was the _second time_, and I wasn't sure we'd be able to escape the next time…

"Don't worry, Max, you don't have to hate them. They're not trying to kill us; it was just a cuh-, a coi-, a coincidince. Yeah, a coincidince." Angel smiled happily up at me from her seat on the couch.

I sighed and asked, "Hey, Iggy, can I have some more scrambled eggs?"

"Sure," he responded casually, shoveling some onto a plate and handing it to me. Okay, he just held it out in my general direction and I took it, but this is Iggy. He's blind, remember? At least he could tell where I was.

I sat down at the table next to Nudge and started to wolf down the eggs like I was starving. Because I _was_. The constant hunger is one of the biggest problems with being a mutant bird-kid, believe me.

I noticed that Nudge hadn't been that talkative this morning, which was the number-one sign that there was something wrong. "Hey, what's on your mind, sweetie?" I asked.

She sighed and said, "I'm just really freaked. That was the _second time._ I want to get out of the country until this whole thing is over."

I hugged her, saying "Don't worry. Like Angel said, I mean, _mind-read,_" I glared at her, and she just smiled back, "it was just a coincidence."

"I know, but the time when they gassed that subway was scary enough. And now this…"

"Hey, but you gotta admit, it was pretty dramatic," said the Gasman. "I mean, where'd they get that many firebombs?"

"Aw, come on, man, we could make enough to destroy a city in less than 24 hours," said Iggy.

"Don't get any ideas," I warned. Then I returned to consoling Nudge, with the good old "There's no reason to panic."

For no good reason, Angel decided to give her opinion. "We should go get Total and Akila from your mom and go to Paris! The boys never got to see Europe! We could stay there, and explore all the different museums, and eat lunch at the Eiffel Tower, and we'll stay until the government squashes the rebels like bugs!" I swear, she's the only six-year-old who thinks like that. But there was no way we were going to run from nothing. Heck, I still had to save the world, right?

_You're right,_ said the Voice. _You must fulfill your destiny._

That did it. "Alright, but we can't bring the dogs. I'm not carrying Akila halfway around the world."

_Maximum…, _started the Voice.

_Screw you, Voice. I'm going on vacation._

"Paris? OMG Thank you Max!" Nudge exclaimed, hugging me very tightly.

"French girls, Iggy!" said Gazzy.

"Heck yeah!" Iggy replied from the stove.

Sexist pigs.

"Awww, why can't we bring the dogs?" asked Angel.

"Come on, you've survived for a while now without Total, you can live a bit longer," I said. Thankfully, the whole Paris prospect was enough for her to give in.

Oh, and guess who hadn't commented yet?

I slid down next to Fang on the couch. Okay, I sat on him, 'cause he was doing his fade-away thing. After he jumped up and scared the crap out of me, I sat down next to him and asked, "So how long do you think we've got until the hotel manager notices we're bunking in here?"

"With the way you've gotten them going about this little trip, I'd say fifteen minutes, tops. And why exactly are we going there again? To escape a non-existent threat?" Whoa, that was quite a speech from Mr. Silent.

"Pretty much. But, hey, they're happy. When was the last time you've seen everyone like this?" I said.

"Well, if we're actually flying there, this'll probably be the last time in a long time," he pointed out casually.

---------------

Man, I hate it when Fang is right.

To everyone reading this: if you happen to sprout wings, do _not_ fly across the Atlantic. There's nowhere to stop, and it goes on and on. At least the Pacific has islands.

And if you're ever in Ireland, make sure you stop by O'Reiley's Original Pub and Eatery. It's the least you can do after we dragged ourselves in there and ate everything they had. And then slept on the benches outside for a whole day. I repeat, never, _ever_, fly across the freakin' ocean.

---------------

A few days later, our "Tour de Europe" had us admiring the scenery and eating like pigs from a café in the Eiffel Tower. Or should that be on the Eiffel Tower? It's on that big platform… ah, forget it. Just look at a picture.

And much to my dismay, nobody could keep their eyes off the French girls. Well, except Iggy. But Gazzy served as his eyes, and he obviously forgot I was there. Nudge, thankfully, cared only about the fashions. Angel, un-thankfully, was reading everyone's mind. Fang seemed to be comparing them to me.

I didn't see any redheads, thank God.

After we finished eating, Nudge wanted to do some exploring, so we all trooped over to the elevator. Something felt wrong, but I pushed it out of my mind and focused on, well, walking.

Oh, and yes, we could have just flown off of the platform. But we didn't want to make a scene. I figured we'd make one without trying eventually anyway.

Naturally, there were already people getting in, and them plus the six of us wouldn't fit. I'd survive a few minutes alone, so I waved the others in and told them I'd take the next one.

Turns out five bird-kids couldn't fit either. And who do you think decided to join me?

You get one guess. I'll give you a hint. He's a guy, and he's not excessively fond of blowing stuff up.

No, my ex-boyfriend Sam didn't jump out of the elevator. My life isn't _that_ weird.

So as Iggy gave us his "Keep it G-rated" look, the doors closed, and the rest of the Flock disappeared, Fang and I walked over to the guardrail to look out over the Champ de Mars.

"Why do I feel like one of us should have gone with them?" I asked cautiously.

"Well, maybe because every time we leave them alone, things go wrong," He replied.

I looked up at him. "I sure hope you mean wrong for _them._"

"Well, naturally," He said, putting his hand on my chin, "because things were perfect on our end." Then he kissed me, and my world was complete.

He pulled me closer, and I would never have dreamed of resisting. We held each other close, and it was perfect– we were safe, we were together, and there wasn't a gun in my back or anything.

But this is _my_ life, right? So of course my heaven was rudely interrupted by what felt like a gun being jammed right between my wings. Judging by the way Fang jumped, he had been unwillingly introduced to a new friend as well.

"Don't move," someone said.

_Right,_ I thought, _like that'll happen._

_On three,_ mouthed Fang. I nodded subtly enough that our armed companions didn't notice, but Fang did.

_One… _We each stepped back, seemingly giving in to our captors.

_Two…_ I noticed we had been surrounded. I tensed, ready to make these idiots pay.

"Three!" shouted Fang, and I snapped out my wings and kicked backwards, knocking down at least two baddies– I was in the air too quickly to get an exact count.

"Take evasive action!" I yelled to Fang. "Weave! Get out of firing range!" He immediately banked sharply to the right, but then grunted and started to fall. Fast.

"NO! FANG!" I screamed, diving after him. I heard the sound of a bullet cutting through the air, and then it felt as if my chest was on fire. But before I could react to the pain, it disappeared. _What the...?_

And then I realized that I was falling.

_Work, wings, come on, dammit!_ I thought desperately, but they didn't respond. Neither did my arms. Or my legs. I tried to scream, but no sound came out. As everything faded to black, I had time for one last thought: Who had attacked us?

---------------**  
**


	2. From Russia, With Love

**Maximum Ride: Saving the World?**

**Part One: Rebellion**

**Chapter 2: From Russia, With Love**

**"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." -JFK**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, or anything else mentioned in this story.**

---------------

I was in a truck. Actually, we were in a truck. Me and the rest of the flock. At first I was overjoyed to see them, and then I realized that therefore we all were in trouble instead of just me and Fang, so that happiness didn't last too long.

Well, we were in a truck. I think a U-Haul. Though it's more of a We-Haul-U. Or actually We-Haul-You-To-God-Knows-Where-Without-Asking-First.

I really get bored when I'm captive, huh?

I looked over at one of the four heavily armed guards sitting in the corner. Well, there was one per corner, not four in one… Anyway, I asked him, "I don't suppose you're gonna tell us who you are, huh?"

He took off his helmet (which looked like a combination of a motorcycle helmet, a Stormtrooper helmet, and a gas mask) and I was surprised that he was fairly young– I'd say college-age. A bit younger than our typical enemy. He was wearing full body armor, with each armor plate being white with a thick red vertical stripe down the middle. I mean, even his helmet had this design. And all this clashed with the black body-suit-thing underneath, visible only at joints. Did I mention he was armed?

Okay, enough description. Back to the story…

After removing his helmet, he further surprised me by saying, "I'm Commander Jeff Sanders, Squad 37 of the Rebel Army. The, uh, boss wanted to talk to you guys."

"Gee," I retorted sarcastically, "wouldn't have just asking us to come with you have been enough?"

"Actually, that was the plan," he said completely seriously. "When you guys split up, we had to change our plans."

"Still, there's definitely a nicer way to request our presence," I insisted. I wasn't going to be out-cooled.

"Well, actually, our weapons weren't even loaded. If they had been, you and Fang wouldn't have managed to get into the air. Besides, if you still don't believe me, you guys aren't tied up or anything."

Well, this was interesting. We sure weren't. (I hadn't been captured in such a long time, I hadn't even noticed. Is that good or bad?) They shot me down, but must have caught me, because I'm still in one piece. They were heavily armed, but their weapons weren't loaded. These guys were definitely not registering as evil, but they had us captive. And I wasn't blind to the fact that they knew our names. Well, Fang's, at least.

Then I got an idea.

"Wait a minute!" I exclaimed looking around frantically. "Where's Fang?!"

It got exactly the response I wanted. Jeff and his three friends (in matching outfits, I might add) seemed to panic temporarily, and Nudge didn't even hesitate. A gun flew into each of Nudge's hands from a bewildered soldier's belt, and within five seconds of my faked panic, Iggy tossed the guns at the wall and we all hunkered down.

Before the explosion had entirely dissipated, I was on my feet and diving through the newly created hole in the wall.

A moment too late, I realized that there was no hole in the wall after all. They knew us even better than I could've imagined. Why else would they have chosen the armored We-Haul-U?

---------------

After that little incident, we were tied up and our heavily armed friends had loaded up their weapons. Something tells me they don't like it when their weapons get blown up.

Hours later, the armored We-Haul-U pulled to a stop. We were untied, but our new friends "escorted" us out of the truck, where we met eight more heavily armed white-with-red stripeys. I presumed their weapons were loaded this time, so I let the flock know [via Angel's mind] that we'd see what they wanted first before making a break for it.

The first thing I noticed when I stepped out of the truck was the cold. Then the gray-ness. I had never seen a more desolate place. We were at a military base of some sort; obviously not one in Hawaii. The skies were gray, the few huge buildings– warehouses, mostly– were gray, and the huge shapes of battleships in the distance were, obviously, magenta.

Gotcha.

Anyway, on a scale of one to ten, this place got a negative. "Where the heck are we?" I asked.

"Murmansk, Russia," replied G.I. Jeff. "The Rebel Army's naval base and headquarters of the Crown of Thorns. On loan from the Russian government. Come on, let's go." He ushered us towards the largest warehouse. It was clearly the newest, because it wasn't as dull gray as the rest. We entered and… Holy crap.

It looked like a huge aircraft maintenance hangar, except not everything was aircraft. I couldn't even tell what some things were, but they all looked dangerous. One of our armored friends pointed to a room off to the side and we went in. By we, I mean the flock. They closed the door behind us and I looked around our… conference room?

Okay, these guys definitely missed a few lectures in Capturing Mutants 101.

"Let's get out of here. This place gives me the creeps," complained Nudge.

"No, if we tried to escape, they'd take us out with… uh… well, this is a military base," I countered. "No way out. Yet. Let's wait and see."  
Right on time, a guy in his late twenties, wearing a plain white t-shirt and jeans, walked in and sat down at the head of the conference table. "Morning, guys. Have a seat," he said casually. We cautiously did so. "I'm Kurt Young, head of the Rebel Army and member of the Crown of Thorns Leading Council. I trust your journey was well?"

I didn't even get a chance to open my mouth to release a very hostile comment when his phone rang. He picked it up, talked into it for a second, frowned, and hung up. He looked at us one by one, much more cautiously than before. "Uhh, sorry about the whole capture thing. Commander Sanders was telling the truth to you guys: we were planning to just ask nicely." He really did seem sorry, which struck me as odd.

"Okay, so what's all this 'Rebel Army' crap?" asked Fang. "And this 'Crown of Thorns'?"

Kurt sighed. "Alright, let's start at the top. The Crown of Thorns is an extremely secretive group of countries, organizations, etc. working together to overthrow and replace the governments of the world. The Rebel Army is the official– and even more secretive– military of the Crown. We–"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up a bit," I interrupted. "Did you say something about overthrowing the governments of the world? Like, world domination or something?"

"Max," he said calmly, "You of all people should know that the world isn't in a good shape. The people who have the power, not all of them, but most of them, have been corrupted by wealth, power, et cetera. The environment is going through hell; nature is almost nonexistent. People all over the world suffer from hunger and disease while those who can help ignore the problem. It has all reached the point that–"

"So you're going to fight? Whatever happened to peaceful protest?" I didn't like where this was heading. He was right, but he was wrong. I was actually hoping the voice would help me out here.

"President John F. Kennedy once said, 'Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.' Haven't we tried peaceful revolution? We've reached the point where we must either watch the world tear itself apart or fight to save it." He had thought this through. Dang. But I wasn't going to give in.

"But you'll tear the world apart yourself if you fail," I pointed out.

"Which is the bigger crime: risking everything humanity has accomplished in order to save it, or sitting on the sidelines as it fall apart?" He paused. "That is why we won't fail. We have what it takes to do this, and we'd like it if you'd join us." He sit back and let us absorb that info. He rose, said "I'll give you guys some time to talk it over," and left.

I looked at the Flock. They all stared back, waiting for my decision. I had nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Drawing a total blank.

Fang intervened. "How about a vote?"

I shot him a thank you glance and said, "Okay, that sounds good."

Angel spoke up first. "I'll do whatever Max does." Great. As if I wasn't already dealing with enough pressure, my vote now counted twice.

Nudge was next. "No way! It's just… it's… uh… wrong! And… uh… just… NO!" Wow Nudge at a loss for words. What is happening to my family?!?

Fang sat in silence and almost disappeared (literally) before shocking me with an "I'm in." He then went silent again. I almost wanted the old, er, new talkative Fang back.

The Gasman whispered something in Iggy's ear, and he nodded. Gazzy turned to me and said, "We're with Fang. We're in."

Great. It all came down to my choice. How surprising.

_You have to save the world_, voted You-Know-Who.

_Okay, Voice, so that's a 'no'… Oh, wait! You don't have a vote! _ I really wish the Voice had a physical form so I could punch it.

_ If I was voting, I'd vote 'yes.' You're destined to save the world. This is a giant attempt to…_

"…Save the world." Everything made sense now. Okay, not everything, but more than before.

"What was that, Max?" asked Nudge, looking at me strangely.

"I'm sorry, Nudge, but I'm still supposed to save the world." I looked up at the rest of the flock. "And I think this is how."

---------------


	3. High School Reunion

**Maximum Ride: Saving the World?**

**Part One: Rebellion**

**Chapter 3: High School Reunion**

**"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." -JFK**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, or anything else mentioned in this story.**

---------------

Let's just say that the Kurt Young dude was _very_ happy to have us on board. But, naturally, he hadn't told us everything before we voted. And I forgot that we were _kids_. Joining an _army._

"Well, we're made up mostly of young adults. Our minimum fighting age is sixteen, and I don't think there's anyone in the entire army over forty. Not on this base, at least."

"Whoa, hold on," I said. "Sixteen? Me, Fang, and Iggy and only fourteen. The others obviously aren't even close. How does that work?"

"Well, when you and Fang were, uh, shot down," he explained, obviously not happy with the way we had been "acquired", "Commander Sanders had some of your blood drawn and tested to make sure the sedative didn't have any negative effects on you. Thankfully, it didn't. But the blood test also showed that you two are approximately sixteen, not fourteen."

That was unexpected. I knew not keeping track of dates would come back to bite me.

"Therefore, we can assume that the three of you are sixteen, Nudge is thirteen, the Gasman is ten, Angel's eight. But we still have the age problem, but that's easily fixed. Do you understand our 'Squad System'?" he asked.

"Never even heard of it," said Iggy. I wasted a perfectly good glare at him. I didn't want him forgetting who the leader was.

"Okay, well, the whole army is divided into squads of twelve. You met Squad 37. I've made arrangements for you six to join Squad A1, part of our special 'Air Force', if you will." He looked around, expecting us to react in some way. We didn't. He continued, "You'll be with six excellent pilots, and you'll be assigned both air and ground missions. It will be the Squad Commander's choice whether or not Nudge, Angel, and the Gasman go on each mission."

That made sense. But there was no way I'd be letting them fight. They'd already had enough fighting for a lifetime, and… why the hell did we join up then?

Saving the world, right. The ever-present thorn in my side. Almost as bad as the Voice.

"And that Commander would be…?" asked Fang. I shot him a glare, which he ignored. Why bother asking?

"Jackie Starbright, a great pilot and a good friend of mine. And in case something should happen to her, _you_, as second-in-command, will take over as Squad Commander." He shocked me twice in one sentence. One, I wasn't going to be in charge of my own flock anymore. Two, _Fang_ was in charge if something went horribly wrong. What. The. HELL!?

---------------

Of course I had to have a word with Kurt. I stayed behind when the others left, giving Fang the 'I'll be there in a minute' look. Then I turned on the Young guy and let it flow. "How come I'm not in charge of what the Flock does and doesn't do?! Do you expect me to trust some total stranger with their _lives_?! Do you?! _Do You?!_" Let me tell you, I was _livid_.

I'd never seen someone so calm, especially while someone was exploding in their face. Especially with _me _exploding in their face. "Of course not. When it really matters, Jackie won't be a stranger anymore. And I let her have the job because she's experienced, and I know you could use a bit less on your shoulders," he said, essentially knocking me out without throwing a single punch.

I sighed and sat down, now more sorry than angry. "And what about Fang?" I feebly asked, though I knew it wasn't worth it.

"Same reason. Now hurry, or you'll miss your plane," he joked, since the plane to Florida wasn't going anywhere without us.

---------------

Yeah, that's right. Florida. I guess that nobody lives in Central Florida except some cows and some rednecks. So it's perfect for military training, especially _secret_ military training.

Let me tell you, Russia may have been cold, but I'd take it over Florida. It was just _too_ hot.

Anyway, after landing we headed over to the endless rows of barracks, which were more like oversized cabins. And there were people _everywhere,_ many wearing armor similar to Squad 37's, but with different colors and designs, so each squad could be told apart from the next. Ours would be blue with two thin yellow stripes running down the right side, but it'd be a while before the special Mutant Edition came out.

Why does that matter again?

Well, we found the Squad A1 cabin, and entered to find a man and a woman in casual clothing, well, cooking. Not what you'd expect, but hey, I could care less. The woman, who looked a bit like me (in, say, ten years), but with longer and darker hair, noticed us first and came to greet us. "Hi!" she said, "I'm Jackie. This is Paul Wilson," the man with spiky brown hair waved at us, "and you must be the, uh, new, uh, special recruits. Right?" She seemed cool enough. She wasn't trying to kill us, which was always a plus. Paul didn't seem that bad either.

_This might not be that bad_, I thought.

"Um, hi, Commander Starbright, I'm Max, and this is Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel." Okay, it might be pretty bad if I couldn't lighten up.

"Well, it certainly is nice to meet you all. The others are doing some extra training, they'll be here shortly. Come on in and make yourself comfortable! After all, this is as much your home as mine!" We all piled onto the couch as Commander Starbright said, "Oh, and Max? I'm Jackie. Commander Starbright… ugh, I'll never like the way that sounds."

I smiled. "No prob, Jackie."

"I think your name is pretty," Angel said, earning a smile from Jackie. Iggy offered to help her cook, so Paul came over to talk to us. Before I knew it, we were describing our lives in vivid detail. These guys were definitely not anywhere on the evil scale.

About a half hour later, the door opened. Jackie called out to us, "Hey, guys, the others are here," then went to introduce them to us. There were three guys and one girl, all college-age or younger. One of them looked a bit familiar…

"Okay, guys, this is 'the Flock', that's Fang, Iggy, Angel, Max, and the Gasman. Flock, this is Austin Akers," she pointed to the tall, dark guy in the Lakers jersey, who nodded.

"Victoria Hubaki," the short girl who reminded me of Nudge smiled and waved.

"Kevin Spagler," he slightly inclined his head so we knew who he was. He was emo, like Fang. (Okay, emo-ish. Whatever.)

"and Sam Wall." He stared at me awkwardly, and I suddenly realized who he was.

No way. My life's not _that _weird.

---------------


	4. The Beginning Of The End Of The World

**Maximum Ride: Saving the World?**

**Part One: Rebellion**

**Chapter 4: The Beginning of the End of the World**

**"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." -JFK**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, or anything else mentioned in this story.**

---------------

"_Why do they always send the poor? Why do they always send the poor?"_

"What's this band called again?" I practically yelled across the small table to Victoria. We were in the makeshift dance club set up on the base for entertainment, trying to have a conversation over the blasting live band's cover of "B.Y.O.B."

"Squad 23," she yelled back.

"Why are they called that?"

"'Cuz they're all in Squad 23. Why else?" She moved over to make some room for Austin, who appeared with three bottles of Coke.

"Where's everybody else?" he asked as he slid into our booth, one of the many lining the walls.

"I dunno about Sam, but Kev and Fang are headbanging over there," Victoria said, pointing to the edge of the stage where about fifteen people, including said bird-kid and his newfound friend, were doing just that. Jackie and Paul were back at the cabin, keeping an eye on the rest of the Flock. Which was a good thing– it was only a matter of time until Iggy and Gazzy blew something up.

"Those two are gonna be pretty good friends, huh?" I asked, watching the two stagger out of the crowd, laughing.

"Are you kidding? Kev hasn't talked to anyone for more than a minute at a time until you guys came along," Austin said. "I mean, they've got the same interests, Kev's only one year older than Fang… Maybe it'll be good for him."

"But you know, it's weird," said Victoria. "I mean, Kev and I are the same age, Austin's one year older than us, and now with you, Fang, Iggy, and Sam, we've got seven people within three years of each other. That's gotta be a mistake."

"Or it was intentional." Sam had reappeared, and he motioned to me. "Hey, Max, I've got someone here you'd like to see."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" I asked as I got up. I still hadn't got used to seeing him again, especially after the way I ran him over during our great escape. Not to mention everything that had happened to me and Fang since then.

"You shouldn't." He waved to someone on the other side of the room. I recognized her immediately. Holy crap.

"Max?"

"J.J.?! What are you doing here?" We ran to each other cheesy-movie-style and hugged joyfully. I'd only made a few friends in my life, so it was great to see her again.

"Virtually all of the HHH joined up when they came recruiting," Sam said a-matter-of-factly.

I looked at him like he was crazy. "HHH?"

"Head-Hunter-Haters. Me, Sam, and Tess started it after your little, uh, escape," J.J. explained. "But what are you doing here?"

"Didn't you hear? A new law was passed– all mutants vacationing in France are now legally required to join up." J.J. laughed, and someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned and found myself face-to-face with the head headbanger himself.

Fang, sensing the comedic attitude, bowed deeply and said in a regal tone, "May I have this dance, Madam Maximum?"

Barely suppressing a laugh, I responded, in the same tone, "Why, certainly! What a capital idea!"

That was it. All four of us were laughing our heads off, and by the time Fang and I pulled ourselves together and got out on the floor, the song was almost over.

It was "I Miss You" by blink-182.

"_Don't waste your time on me, you're already the voice inside my head,"_ crooned the singer.

Fang and I were laughing again, though this time nobody else knew why.

_That's not funny, _the Voice said.

---------------

"So, you and Ni-Fang, sorry, are together now? I thought he's your brother!" J.J. asked, lying down on her bunk.

"Not really. That was just a cover. But I have known him my entire pathetic life." I sat down on the bed across from hers. I had no idea whose it was, but I could care less.

"Your life's not pathetic! Come on, I'd take your life any day. You get to go places! Do fun things! Get–"

"Chased halfway around the world by crazy evil scientists?" I said. "'Cuz that's what really happens."

"Well, I'd still trade," she said.

"No you wouldn't. I wouldn't let you."

"Oh, you _so_ would so you could ditch your 'pathetic life'," she taunted.

"That's it!" I grabbed a pillow off the bad and threw it at her. She laughed and threw one back. Laughing like maniacs, we threw pillows and sheets and a teddy bear I found (Who brings a teddy bear to a training camp?) until we flopped down on her bed, still laughing.

It felt great to have a friend. Ella was a sister– J.J. was a friend. There's a difference, believe me.

Just don't ask for an explanation.

"What the– aw, come one Jen, I just made my bed. And who's this? Does she have _wings_?"

J.J. sat up and said, "Sorry, my friend Max, and yes. Now what do you want Kyle?"

The burly man said, "Well, I was just coming in to pack. And make my bed now, I suppose."

"Pack? Why?" J.J. asked.

"You didn't get the memo?" He was clearly surprised. "The war's starting. We move on Tallahassee tomorrow."

"WHAT?!" She leapt up. "Are you serious?"

"Yup. And we're lucky– while other squads are trying to take Air Force bases and such, we've got to fight off _politicians_."

"Hold on," I said. "What about me? Squad A1? Are we…?"

He pulled out a file, which he opened and started thumbing through. "I don't think there's any air support," he said. He then found what he was looking for. "Uh, let's see… no, you're staying here for now. Sorry, I guess." He closed the file and turned to J.J. "You might want to get packed. We've got to leave at 6 a.m." He turned and left, apparently forgetting to pack himself.

I looked at J.J., who stared back, concern on her face. Why is everything worth keeping always taken out of my life?

---------------

Austin, Victoria, Iggy, Nudge, and I collapsed as soon as we entered our cabin. Paintball was excellent training, but three rounds against _all_ of Squad A7 equals five extremely tired teenage soldiers. And we were getting tired of Squad A7, but with almost everyone else out fighting, there was limited competition in our down time between real training exercises.

"I hope you guys won, just because we all couldn't show up is no excuse to lose," Angel said. "Oh, good!" I didn't want to know whose mind she had pulled that from right now, but I'd find out later.

"Oh, and Max," she continued, "I heard that Squad 87 was successful. And that J.J.'s alright."

I'll get her for that later.

"Heck, I heard that the whole operation was successful," said Kevin.

"Florida belongs to the Rebels!" said Fang, and they slapped a high-five.

Jackie walked in. "Hey, guys, guess what?"

"Fang's name really _is_ Fnick?" Iggy asked hopefully, earning a punch from Fnick.

"Nope," she said, holding up a file just like the one that Kyle guy had. "We're going to Jacksonville."

---------------


	5. Border Patrol, Flock Style

**Maximum Ride: Saving the World?**

**Part One: Rebellion**

**Chapter 5: Border Patrol, Flock Style**

**"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." -JFK**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, or anything else mentioned in this story.**

---------------

Okay, so we weren't going to Jacksonville- just that general area. The Canadian and British armies had been the first to respond and give the Americans a hand. Our navy, consisting of the ships from Murmansk and some that were captured just a few weeks ago, was putting up a good fight on the coasts. They couldn't bomb us because of all the American citizens (and tourists) in-state. So a ground invasion was their only option, and that's where we came in. Three nations were pounding at the door, and we had to throw them off the doorstep. What fun!

Three gunships– special original-to-the-Rebels-low-flying planes with an open-walled troop bay (say that five times fast)– were flying towards the battlefield. Fang and I stood in one of the aforementioned bays, hanging on for dear life as the ground sped by beneath us.

Well, not really, because falling out isn't a problem for us, but you know what I mean.

"How did I get myself into this?" I wondered aloud.

"Saving the world, right?" asked Tall, Dark, and Getting-Less-Quiet-Each-Day.

"Not anytime soon, I guess…" I looked away and sighed. I could tell he was about to say something comforting, but the intercom-thingy turned on.

"Okay, you two, we're almost in position," Jackie's voice crackled over the speakers. "Prepare for your jump."

I stretched out my wings and positioned myself on the edge, when the speakers turned back on.

"Good luck, guys." It was Paul this time. "Now GO!"

One last quick adjustment of my armor and I was airborne.

---------------

"Okay, so dive for about three seconds, pull up, and fly straight. Weave a bit from time to time. I'll stay on your tail."

"Got it," Iggy said.

"You'll just arm the bombs and toss 'em back, I'll catch them and blow some shit up!"

"Awesome. Just don't say that around Max, she'll find about twenty reasons to blow _us_ up in that one sentence." Gazzy laughed, but the moment was ruined when Austin's voice came over the speakers, saying, "Alright guys, time to go. Good luck."

"Blow some shit up for me!" added Kevin. With one last laugh, Iggy leapt out, the Gasman right behind him.

---------------

Nudge hit the ground running. Behind enemy lines, she had about two seconds before someone started shooting, and she did _not_ want bullet holes in her armor. With the right hairstyle, it actually looked okay, but the helmet just threw it all off.

She shook her head in disgust. She _had_ to get those thoughts out of her head. She was at _war_, for crying out loud! Even though war was terrible, all the killing and destruction and it wreaked havoc on the environment which we really should care more about because…

Someone started firing. Nudge jumped up onto a tank, but that just attracted attention. Now she was getting shot at by everyone.

_That's funny,_ she thought, _you'd think they'd be more accurate._

Then she noticed exactly how accurate they were. Each bullet simply was changing course when it got too close to her, soaring harmlessly past. _Awesome_,_ reverse magnetism! I could get used to this._

She stuck out her hand, and the top hatch was torn off by an invisible force. Tossing it aside, she jumped in. The soldiers inside were quite surprised, but they got over their surprise quickly. But Nudge had fought in spaces like this before. A minute later, not a single human was conscious. Nudge slipped behind the controls, which were basically a big computer.

Exactly 34.01 seconds later, she was flying away from the tank as fast as possible when it burst into flames. _OMG, that was SCARY! How can the boys like this? _she thought in disgust as she flew off.

---------------

And I thought Erasers were tough. I was fighting to within an inch of my life. I spun and kicked a guy in the chin. When he staggered backwards, a kick to the chest sent him to the ground easily. But when one goes down, three more step up to take his place. I clenched my fists, ready for some serious beat-down.

Seriously _tough,_ as they were heavily armed, unlike their unconcious friend.

"Max! Hit the deck!" I dropped to the ground instantly as Fang stepped over me, machine gun blazing. _Guns_, actually. One per hand. I'm fighting by hand here, who gave him real weapons? With the three joining the one on the ground, Fang tossed me one of his deadly friends and helped me up. I simply gave it back to him.

"What, you don't want it?"

"Max Fu not good enough anymore?"

He smiled. "No, it's fine, but you should seriously try out Tae-Kwon-Fnick." He demonstrated by taking out someone who had come up behind me.

"I would, but I don't have the training."

"Me neither. But I'm not dead yet, right?"

I suddenly shoved him aside, delivering a quick one-two punch to knock out the unfortunate soul who decided to sneak up on Fang. "Maybe not, but that was close. You owe me."

"We're even. No, you still owe me for getting those three."

"Oh, I _so_ could have taken them," I said.

"Wanna bet? I'll buy you dinner if you take those three alone."

"And if I don't?" I asked playfully.

He grinned evilly. "Kid's menu."

"You wouldn't!"

"Wanna find out? They're getting closer!"

"I'm getting steak!" I yelled as I leapt into the air and soared over to engage them. _And don't say anything, Voice, _I thought, for good measure.

_I wasn't going to, but now that you mention it..._

_NO!!!_

---------------

"Celeste, would you like more tea?"

The bear didn't respond. That's why Angel can read minds. Teddy bears don't talk.

Well, they don't think either. Angel couldn't care less.

"Here you go. And Total couldn't come because he had to stay with Akila. She can't fly, you know. And I wish I could have gotten us a proper tea parlor, but this is fine, right?"

Around them, Canadian and British soldiers were fighting over whose accent was cooler, while the American soldiers fought each other for no apparent reason.

Angel saw a two figures flying overhead, and watched as three others joined them. She sighed. "Time to go, Celeste." She picked up the bear, put her helmet back on, and leapt skyward.

---------------

"Here comes Angel now," Nudge said as we flew up alongside and into Jackie and Paul's gunship.

"You all okay?" Paul asked via intercom-thingy.

"Never better. Wait a minute for Angel, then get us out of here, 'k?" I requested.

"No prob."

"Actually, that's my call," said Jackie, "but that's exactly what we're doing." Angel soared in right at that time.

"Did you blow up that tank, Nudge, or did I just get really lucky?" Gaz asked enthusiastically. Nudge blushed and looked away.

"You _blew up_ a _tank_?" Iggy exclaimed. "_You_? _Blew up_?A _tank_?"

"Yeah, and Max and I opened up a can of whup-ass down there," Fang said. "You should've seen it, Ig."

Iggy turned to me and asked, "Can I punch him?"

Laughing, I said, "Be my guest."

As everybody cracked up at the sight of Iggy blindly (literally) attacking Fang, one stray thought drifted through my head: who said war was all bad?

---------------


	6. Skyscrapers And Sacrifices

**Maximum Ride: Saving the World?**

**Part One: Rebellion**

**Chapter 6: Skyscrapers and Sacrifices**

**"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." -JFK**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, or anything else mentioned in this story.**

---------------

The Mobile Command Walker was straight out of Star Wars. Except this was Atlanta, not some godforsaken ice planet. And it was heavily armed, but not with super-powerful lasers. And it wasn't as freakishly huge, but it still measured up to the skyscrapers it plodded past. Inside, Kurt Young examined a diagram of the battle raging in the city.

"We're encountering significant opposition, but it's nothing we can't handle," a Tactical Expert said, pointing to the exact locations as the screen flickered and updated to show a more recent scenario. "We've got a problem over here though," he pointed out what looked like a parking garage. "There are snipers positioned in this building, and they're picking off ground forces like nobody's business. Their position makes them hard to hit."

Kurt sighed. "Isn't the Medical Walker right over there? Have them destroy that place. It's just a parking garage, it won't be the end of the world."

"True, but doing do would be a major risk for our forces on the ground there. It'll fall down, and we can't control where the debris will end up. That also rules out an air strike."

"Hmm."

"It's also likely that they'll start setting up snipers in other buildings if they can."

"Alright then. Send Squad 83 in to take those snipers out man-to-man. Then have them sweep nearby buildings for more. Send in reinforcements once they're available."

"Sir, Squad 83's on their way back in now, they've been out there all day."

Kurt sighed and scanned the board, as it updated again. "Okay, send in Squad A1. They're underhanded," Kurt made sure to point out before the annoying T.E. did, "so get those reinforcements in ASAP."

---------------

We'd been advancing further into Georgia for weeks now, pushing the American forces and their allies back. Or at least that's what we thought. It looked like they simply pulled back and decided to concentrate on holding us at Atlanta.

They were doing a good job.

Hidden behind what was once a nice SUV, I examined a hand grenade. "Pull the pin and throw, right?"

"Uh, well, actually…" Kevin, reloading his gun, reached for the small bomb. "Just let me do it."

I gave it up. I don't like weapons that much anyway. Kevin held down the lever thingy, pulled the pin, and stood up, exposing himself to the Allies (that's what we called them), but also them to him. He chucked it as hard as he could and dropped back down behind our Chevy safety barrier.

"Get anyone?" Fang asked, reloading his submachine gun. He really liked that weapon.

"Dunno. Wouldn't be able to hear it anyway." This was true. The three of us were hunkered down behind the aforementioned SUV near an intersection. The Rebels held one side, the Allies the other. We were literally in the center of the battle. The gunfire, explosions, screaming, etc. was deafening. It was obvious why Jackie had insisted Nudge, Gaz, and Angel stay behind for this fight. Had I been in charge, Iggy would have too, but we needed at least one of the pyromaniacs.

There was a roar as a pair of F22's flew overhead, a pair of brand-new Rebel Aurora fighters hot on their tail. They split up and one of the F22's headed back towards us, only to be struck by a missile from one of the Auroras. I watched in awe as it spun sideways and struck a skyscraper extremely close to us, shattering windows and sending the doomed fighter spiraling to earth.

Right at us.

Crap.

The three of us ran from our former cover as fast as we could, but the wreck fell faster. I looked at Fang, and he nodded before I could say anything. We each grabbed one of Kevin's arms and leapt into the sky. The jet narrowly missed us and it landed right where we were a moment ago.

That was close._ Too _close.

---------------

"Ground! Sweet ground!" Kevin cried, pretending to kiss the asphalt. We had flown away from the center of battle to regroup.

Fang punched him in the shoulder. "Come on, Kev, we're not that bad at flying. _You _try it."

"Gimme some wings, and I will."

"Shut up, guys," I said, straining to hear what Jackie was saying over our in-helmet-radio-thing.

Kevin stood up and they both looked at me. "What was that?" asked Fang.

"We're supposed to head over to some parking garage. We'll see exactly what it is when we get there GRENADE!"

We dove for cover as the small device flew into our midst and detonated. As we stood up, Kevin said, "Let's get over to that garage, shall we? On foot this time?"

---------------

"Okay, there are snipers on the third floor, there may be some on the roof. There are at least three, and our job is to go in and take them out. Got it?" We all nodded, as Jackie finished explaining. "Alright then, let's go."

I heard Fang say, "Iggy, you stick with me," as we headed up the stairs. We stopped at the door to the second floor and loaded our guns. Paul kicked it open and we ran inside, guns raised.

Nothing but some cars. Next floor.

We readied ourselves again, because we knew there were snipers on this floor.

Paul got ready to open the door. "On three… one… two…"

"Just do it already," snarled the normally-quiet Austin.

He kicked open the door and was the first out of the stairwell. He was also the first to meet the stream of bullets awaiting us.

Paul went down, but Jackie and Kevin were in right behind him firing like maniacs. I could hear the shattering of car windows but, as the last one in, I had almost no idea what was going on until I squeezed in. And by that time the firing had stopped.

"They're still up here; we may have gotten one. There are at least five. You okay, Paul?" Jackie asked.

Victoria was helping him up. He was shaken and his armor badly damaged; he wouldn't be able to take another direct hit. "I'll live. Those bastards won't. Let's get 'em."

Suddenly the sound of gunshots resumed, and someone yelled "Scatter!" I ran off alone, which probably was a bad idea, but I had to make myself harder to hit.

_Duck!_ said the Voice. I wish I had listened.

It felt like someone had hit me in the side of the head with a flaming sledgehammer. I rolled behind a truck and tore off my helmet. A sniper had gotten a direct hit with his sniper rifle, and it was amazing I hadn't been killed. The now-shattered-and-sparking radio must have saved me. I peeked out from behind my cover and saw the sniper who had hit me next to a VW van– aiming directly at me. I couldn't move– I was like a frickin' deer in the headlights. The guy who had me dead in his sights paused for a second, clearly he hadn't expected to be pointing his gun at a teenage girl, and my life was saved for the second time in one minute, this time by Iggy.

Maybe I should cut him some slack the next time I find his bomb stash.

---------------

"Did you get him?"

"Yeah, and that ugly old hippie van. Got any more?" Fang asked.

"Yeah, I've got one more… aw, crap I think I dropped it." Iggy said in reply.

Fang froze. "Was it armed?" he asked cautiously.

"Nope," Iggy said. "How dumb do you think I am?"

Fang ignored the question. He spotted a sniper in a fistfight with someone else from Squad A1 by the outside wall of the garage. "Okay, Ig, stay here. I'll be right back."

"Where would I go? I can't see anything, you know," Iggy said sarcastically. Once again ignoring the comment, Fang loaded his weapon and snuck up behind the pair. Not wanting to hit his fellow Rebel, he was forced to wait for the right shot. This wasn't a problem for Fang of course, but it seemed like forever.

Suddenly the sniper knocked the Rebel soldier off of his feet and pulled out a small pistol. He never got a chance to fire it. Fang unloaded, and the sniper staggered backwards and fell over the edge.

Fang walked over to the Rebel. It was Sam. Fang helped him up anyways.

"Uh, thanks, I guess." Sam obviously wasn't too thrilled to have been rescued by Fang.

"Yeah, no problem." Fang wasn't too thrilled to have rescued Sam either.

Suddenly Sam's eyes opened wide. "Oh crap…"

"What?" Fang turned in the direction he was looking, and what he saw froze his blood.

---------------

When I heard gunfire right behind me, I immediately turned and fired back. I don't know why I did; I guess it was just a reaction. But my reaction must have been pretty good, because I heard a scream of pain. I followed the sound, and, climbing over a car, I found my adversary, a young woman not that much older than me. She greeted me by shooting at me.

_Oh, no you didn't,_ I thought angrily as I literally shot the gun out of her hand. She yelled in pain and started to crawl backwards, away from me. I didn't want to kill her, so I decided for option #2: corner and capture.

Encouraged by the occasional gunshot, she retreated into a corner, where I fully intended to make her stay. She groped around, looking for something to fight back with.

She found something. And I could feel my heart stop when I recognized what it was. She knew what she held in her hand as well.

One of Iggy's bombs. And she had no intentions of being taken alive. She had no problem with being taken _dead_, however...

I had no choice. I turned and ran. I could hear Fang and Sam both screaming at me, and someone tackled me to the floor as the sonic blast nearly shattered my eardrums and the wave of fire passed over me.

So much for cutting Iggy some slack.

I struggled to get up, but the person who had tackled me wasn't moving. "Max, are you okay?" Jackie asked as she and Victoria ran over, helping me up.

"Oh my God," Victoria gasped, staring at whoever it was who had tackled me. "Someone call a medic or–"

"No, Vic. It's too late," Jackie said quietly.

"Oh, no, Max, I'm really sorry…"

Someone had died to save me. And by Victoria's tone, they clearly were important to me. _Please not Fang,_ I found myself praying. _Or Iggy. Or even Sam, if he did this after I've been ignoring him…_

But these three came running over just then. Fang hugged me tightly, saying "Thank God your okay, I thought I lost you–"

"Fang… choking… not breathing…" He slackened his grip, and I looked up on Iggy and Sam.

Iggy was fairly predictable. "What am I missing this time?"

Sam, however, was a different story. "Max, are you… Oh, no, please, no…"

Okay, now I was confused. As I pondered, Jackie left our little group to talk to Paul and someone else who hadn't been there a minute ago– from Squad 87, from the looks of him.

Squad 87? Oh, no…

And so I finally turned to look at the charred body of my old friend, and I broke out in tears, because J.J. had given her life to save mine.

---------------


	7. War Really IS Hell

**Maximum Ride: Saving the World?**

**Part One: Rebellion**

**Chapter 7: War Really IS Hell**

**"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." -JFK**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, or anything else mentioned in this story.**

---------------

Do you ever feel like the entire world is trying to make your life miserable?

I sure as hell do.

My best friend. Dead. And I had no choice but to walk away, reload my gun, and keep fighting.

Dammit, war really is hell, you know that?

So I wiped tears and sweat out of my eyes, shrugged Fang's arm off of my shoulders, and joined Jackie, Paul, and the others as we exited the building.

War raged on, and we had a job to do. While we took care of that last batch of snipers, the Allies set up some more in a skyscraper just across the street.

And so the Rebel Army's First Aerial Squadron walked into an almost-deserted building to hunt down yet more Allied snipers.

They were on the 27th floor. We decided to take the elevator to the 26th, then the stairs up the last level for an ambush. Same as last time, basically. And _that_ went great.

---------------

Squad A1 crammed themselves into two of the three elevators. The doors closed and the elevators began to rise towards the 26th floor. The third elevator's doors opened and a trio of Allied soldiers walked out...

---------------

We ran up the stairs and burst out into… an office. Actually a giant room full of cubicles. There were no Allies in sight, but there were plenty of places to hide.

"Alright guys, guess we're searching cubicle-by-cubicle. Split up, don't let them get you first," Jackie ordered, and we each headed down a different aisle of makeshift workspaces. I looked into each one as Vic searched the ones across the aisle. It felt a bit like an invasion of privacy, but I pushed the thought out of my head for the time being. This was kind of a life-and-death scenario. Kind of.

"BOMB! IT'S A TRAP!" Iggy yelled from a cubicle not far from me. Using someone's desk as a boost, I leapt over the wall and raced to his side. "Where is it Ig?"

"Somewhere in here, I can hear it!"

"Where?"

"I can't see, dammit! How am I supposed to know?" Suddenly Sam and Austin were at my side, and we began rifling through drawers, files, and the like. Austin even tore open the computer. _He is _strong_! _I thought as we continued to redefine "Invasion of Privacy."

"Here!" Sam held up a small but deadly-looking ticking mess of wires.

"Can you disarm it Iggy?" I asked, even though I knew he could.

"I'm not sure, I'll need you guys to be my eyes. What color is this wire?" And so Iggy grew three pairs of panicking eyes. A small timer ticked off the seconds until our death.

30 seconds… Pretty much the entire Squad had shown up by now, and watched in fear.

20 seconds… Iggy froze. "What color is this wire again? Blue, right?"

"The one in your right hand?" I asked. He nodded. "No, it's red. Why?" He cursed, and started grabbing at other wires.

10 seconds… "Anyone got wire cutters or anything?"

"What do you think, of course not! You don't have any? You always do!" I was now officially freaked. Iggy wouldn't be able to save us.

"I need to cut this wire, but I don't have anything!"

"Quick!" Sam exclaimed, "Start rifling!" And Sam and Austin once again threw privacy out the window, tearing through the cubicle in search of something sharp.

5 seconds…

I got an idea. I pulled the wire out of Iggy's hands and put it up against my gun. "No, Max, that could set it off!" Jackie practically screamed.

"Do we have a choice?" I yelled back.

2 seconds… I closed my eyes and pulled the trigger.

I winced as I heard an explosion. I cautiously opened my eyes. I was alive… the explosion had been my gun going off. The smoking wire was split evenly in two, and the timer was blank. We were alive. And safe.

Then Victoria screamed, pointing at the wall of windows behind us. I turned and almost screamed myself.

A fighter jet was careening out of control.

Directly at us.

Again.

We dove for cover, but there wasn't much we could do other then pray.

Then all hell broke loose.

---------------

I pulled myself up, shoving aside debris. _Flaming_ debris. Not good.

_Iggy is right next to you_, the Voice said. I didn't feel like responding. Instead I frantically started digging. I found his hand and pulled upward with all my might. He yelled in pain, and I immediately let go.  
"My leg– I think it's broken," he said. I started to dig him out again, more carefully this time. It took longer but I got him out.

Looking around, I saw that almost everyone else was fine. Sam and Austin were helping Victoria, who wasn't moving. Kevin and Fang were bending over a pair of motionless bodies, obviously Jackie and Paul.

Fang saw me with Iggy and came running over, pulling off his helmet so he could talk to us face-to-face. "We've got to get out of here, the building's burning, and it won't be able to stand up much longer anyways. We got lucky; the jet hit a few stories above us, but if we don't escape we're still screwed."

I nodded, and a message came over Fang's helmet-radio. "Squad A1, report. Are you guys alright?" He looked at me, then over his shoulder towards Kevin, then back at me. He raised his helmet up to his mouth and spoke into the radio:

"This is Commander Fang Ride of Squad A1, we're on our way out."

---------------


	8. Alien Youth

**Maximum Ride: Saving the World?**

**Part One: Rebellion**

**Chapter 8: Alien Youth**

**"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." -JFK**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, or anything else mentioned in this story.**

---------------

Well, there you have it, folks. We were back at the old base, but with a few major changes. Jackie Starbright was dead. Paul Wilson was in the hospital with multiple injuries. Iggy was out of the hospital, but his leg was still in a cast. And our new commander, good old Fang, wasn't talking to anyone. Well, that's normal, but he had a good reason- Kevin and I made him check up with the doctor after it seemed he was in pain. Turned out he fractured three ribs and his collarbone, and they had to be re-broken and set properly.

Even I felt kinda bad about that.

On the bright side, I was now second-in-command to Fang, but for me, that wasn't much of a bright side. You know what I mean, right?

Well, you'd better, 'cuz I'm not explaining.

Okay, I've always been "technically" in charge, and now I was "officially" not. I was still "technically" in charge, but now Fang didn't have to listen to me.

Got it?

---------------

Fang cautiously walked up to Kurt Young. "You wanted to see me?"

"Oh, yes," Kurt said happily. "Walk with me for a minute, Fang. Or should I call you Fnick?" he asked as they started to walk along a path, towards the hangars. "I hear that's what your friends in A1 have started to call you."

"If one more person starts to call me that, I swear I will strangle Iggy, gouge out his eyes, and pulls his brains out through their sockets. I'll then pull his intestines out through his ass, jam them into his skull where his brain used to be, then jam his brains up his ass to where his intestines used to be. Then I'll-"

"Okay, I get it," Kurt said, laughing. "On a more serious note, it's safe to say you guys are underhanded now, right?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Fang responded. "One dead, one in the hospital, one on crutches. Plus three underage mutants who are not going on many missions while I'm in charge. I've only been through two, and if I didn't believe in this cause, I'd quit."

"Can't blame ya," Kurt said. "At times, I wonder what I've gotten myself into. But since you really believe in what we're doing, can you do me a favor?"

Fang wasn't entirely surprised. "Sure, what is it?"

"A mission," Kurt answered. "Not full squad, and off the record."

Now Fang was interested.

---------------

I leaned against the hangar wall. Fang had called us together; he apparently had something to tell us. By "us" I mean Iggy, Kevin, Victoria, Austin, Sam, and me.

I wanted to know why we couldn't be _inside_ the hangar. The mosquitoes were killing me.

"Alright guys," Fang finally said, "I know the last few days have been tough. But we've got to move on, and embrace the next challenge. We-"

"Dammit, Fnick, are you telling us we're going right back out on the front lines?" Iggy asked angrily.

"Nope. We do have an assignment, however," he said. "The seven of us. It's extremely top-secret, but we probably won't end up having to do anything."

"How does that work?" asked Vic.

"We're not working alone," he said, and four figures stepped out of the darkness. They were all wearing black jeans and the same white hoodie, with the same spike black design. They wore black face paint- an x over each eye and a creepy grin over their mouthes.

"Alien Youth," I muttered. I wanted to punch one of them right in the face, between those x-ed out eyes.

"We're conducting a little raid to really bring America to its knees," one said. Ugh, the painted mouth moved with his real mouth, that was creepy. "It'll be simple, we sneak in, do our jobs, and get out. It's your job to cover us and make sure the getting in and out parts work. Any questions?"

"Yeah, I've got one," I said. "What is this raid? What are you guys attacking this time?"

He grinned, which was also really creepy with two mouths. "When is the entire government at one place at one time?"

"I dunno, when?" Was this some kind of game?

"The State of the Union Address."

No effing way.

---------------

"No, Fang, I won't do this!"

"Max," he said to me, "Our job is easy. Make sure nobody sets off an alarm while they get in, make sure they don't have a problem getting out."

"I'm not going to help those… those… monsters!"

He looked at me. "Do you want to save the world or not?" Then he walked off without waiting for a response.

---------------


	9. Misstatement of the Union

**Maximum Ride: Saving the World?**

**Part One: Rebellion**

**Chapter 9: Misstatement of the Union**

**"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." -JFK**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, or anything else mentioned in this story.**

---------------

Did I want to be sitting in a tree outside the American Capitol Building, dressed all in black, holding a sniper rifle while those Alien Youth scumbags somehow evaded the intense security and entered the House of Representatives Chamber?

No.

Did I have a choice?

No.

Was I going to fight for the Aliens if I had to?

No. Even though I was required to do so.

So the seven of us (Fang, Iggy, Sam, Kevin, Austin, Victoria, and me) were waiting. Our job was simple, make sure they got in okay. Done. We didn't even have to do anything.

The second half of our job was to make sure they got out okay. In other words, put these snipers to good use.

--------------

The speech was in progress. Jacob Oveschon, the head of the Alien Youth, pulled his hood up and walked casually out down the center aisle.

He loved the look of surprise on everyone's face. Surprise, shock, and horror. Even a few defiant faces.

With the American government, and, via television, most of the American people, staring at him in disbelief, he simply smiled. "I would like to congratulate all of you," he said. "You will not only get to witness the beginning of the end of the United States of America, but you will play a vital role in it." As he said this, the other Aliens stepped out of hiding, out of the shadows, doorways, and supply closets, guns loaded and ready. Jacob raised his own weapon. "Oh, say, can you see," he sang quietly, almost to himself, "by the dawn's early light, that the flag flies no more."

The Alien Youth opened fire.

--------------

There were security guards, cops, soldiers, and the like running all over the place. "NOW!" Fang called out.

The seven of us started shooting, and guards fell. The others simply turned and returned fire. Suddenly there were leaves flying everywhere, there were branches exploding as they were hit. We jumped down to the ground and ran forward, rifles aside, machine guns blazing. We headed straight for the main entrance, the heart of the Capitol. We couldn't let them block it off.

_There's more than one entrance, _the Voice said, for no good reason.

It was good enough for me.

"Fang!" I called out. "There are other entrances! They can still get in! I'm gonna stop them!"

"No! Max, it doesn't matter! Max!" But I was already airborne.

--------------

When Maximum Ride doesn't want you somewhere, you'd better get the hell away. I think the guards going through the side entrances got the message pretty quick. One minute, they were trying to get into the building, the next, they were trying to find a new entrance to do so.

Yeah, this girl can fight! And, this same girl can fly, so I beat them to the next entrance every time. They weren't getting in. They weren't forcing those goddamn Aliens out.

Wait… the Aliens were leaving. We were supposed to let them get forced out.

Dammit. I'd been forcing them away from those entrances…

Towards the main entrance.

Oooooooooooooooooooh shit.

--------------

I flew back and nearly had a heart attack. My stupidity had resulted in a really bad situation- there were soldiers, guards, and the like everywhere. I landed next to Iggy, who obviously had no idea what was happening. Well, he could hear it, but not see it, of course. And I swear, my life was flashing before my eyes. We were fighting for our lives.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Austin go down. I heard Fang yell in pain but keep fighting. It looked like Sam was hurt. The Aliens were nowhere to be seen, they probably had been captured already. It wouldn't be long until we were, too.

I did _not_ want to be captured.

_You can fly, Max_, the Voice said.

_Oh, yeah, I can._ For once I was thankful for the Voice.

"Iggy, go get Fang, Kevin, and Austin, immediate U&A!" Not waiting for a response, I ran up to Vic and Sam, who were fighting side by side, and grabbed them both in what was almost a bear hug. My wings felt like they were on fire, thank God the whitecoats gave us superhuman strength. I couldn't get very high, but I didn't care. We landed about halfway down the Mall, and I was just happy that we were away from immediate danger. I turned to see how far behind the others were.

Oh crap.

I forgot. Iggy was blind. He would have had a hell of a hard time finding Fang, let alone the others.

Dammit. My stupidity had screwed them over again. I was about to head back when Sam grabbed my arm. "No, Max, we've got to get out of here," he said. "Fang would have wanted us to save ourselves."

He was right. As we ran down a side street, something in me knew that Fang and Iggy weren't dead, but they had definitely been taken captive.

And I swore to myself, and to them, that I would get them back.

--------------


	10. Army of One

**Maximum Ride: Saving the World?**

**Part One: Rebellion**

**Chapter 10: Army of One**

**"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." -JFK**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, or anything else mentioned in this story.**

---------------

The last rays of the setting sun provided an eerie light as I walked along the perimeter of the base, the still-hidden one in Florida. Mosquitoes swarmed as I looked up at the gradually appearing stars, but thankfully they didn't seem to like the taste of mutant blood. _I shouldn't blame myself,_ I thought, _it's not my fault. We're already trying to find them, we know where they took them immediately after their capture, and we know they were moved. We'll find them. I just have to wait._

I turned and started walking the other way. _But we don't know __**where**__ they were taken. Our spies aren't that great, by the time we figure out where they are, they could be dead. I bet __**I**__ could find them, no problem. I __**need**__ to save them- forget the world. Fang, Iggy: My family… that's my world. Let the world burn, I need them back._ I looked up at the sky. _And I'll get them back._

I didn't even need a running start.

---------------

Fang watched as Jacob was thrown into the cell- he had been taken more than the rest of them combined. Somehow they had recognized him, and he had been the prime target of interrogation. Well, that's what they called it. Torture was a much better word. Apparently, it wasn't restricted to Guantanamo Bay…

One of the Aliens spoke up. "Did they learn anything?"

"Yeah," Jacob gasped, still obviously in pain, "They learned that I'll die before I tell them anything."

"I thought they already knew that," someone laughed. Amazing, someone could still laugh.

"Yeah, but they're as dumb as the politicians they take orders from," Jacob replied. Almost everyone laughed- Iggy sat confused in the corner, while Austin slept by his side. It was a miracle that Austin was even still alive, but Fang doubted he'd be around much longer. Some of his gunshot wounds were infected, and it didn't look like their captors gave a damn. Yet another reason to hate them…

The cell door opened. "Give us the winged guy- the one that can see," a deep voice called. Fang didn't even need encouragement- he rose immediately. Jacob pulled him down. "Come get him," he called out.

The man growled and stormed in. He grabbed Fang and pulled him up, then kicked Jacob in the face. "Damn rebel…" Then he literally dragged Fang out.

---------------

Three hours later, I walked straight in to the D.C.P.D. Headquarters, right up to the front desk, ignoring everything else. "How can I help you?" the desk officer asked.

"Yes, is this where those assassins from the State of the Union Address were taken?" I asked politely.

"That is correct," she said cautiously, clearly becoming more suspicious.

"May I speak with them?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

"I'm sorry, they are no longer here," she answered. Well, there was no turning back now.

"Well, where are they now?"

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you that."

I pulled out a small, easily hidden pistol and aimed it right between her eyes. "Are you sure?"

"On second thought," she said, "I'll have your information in a moment." She turned to her computer and started typing.

Too easy.

You know the funny thing about "too easy"? Generally, that's when things get difficult. This was no exception.

This was a police station, after all. Before I knew what was going on, there were four cops around me, each with their own weapon drawn.

I dropped my gun and raised my arms. There was no way I could get out of this one. One lowered her gun and approached me with handcuffs.

I dropped to the floor, tore off my jacket, and revealed the pair machine guns hidden beneath. Those cops didn't know what hit them. Now, as alarms blared, I turned back to the desk officer. "I'm gonna ask nicely, one more time. Where are they?"

She responded by pulling out her own weapon. In one fluid motion, I kicked the gun out of her hand, threw her against the wall, and grabbed her throat. "WHERE ARE THEY?" I screamed in her face as she desperately tried to pry my fingers off of her neck. She flailed, and I saw in her eyes that she had no intentions of telling me anything. I didn't let up. Her desperate attempts at escape grew weaker, and her pupils went to pinpoints. "Where," I snarled, "are they?" She stopped resisting.

"Burn in hell," she choked. Then she stopped fighting.

"Dammit," I growled as I threw the corpse to the floor. I looked at the computer- damn, the computer. How could I be so _stupid?_ I sat down and started typing like crazy. Nudge couldn't have done it better- I scrawled something on my arm and ran straight through the glass doors as more policemen arrived. I heard gunshots being fired, but they did not expect me to jump into the air and fly off into the night.

Norfolk Naval Base. They just _had_ to make it harder than it had to be, didn't they?

Not that it mattered, I'd tear the whole place apart just to find Fang._ And Iggy,_ I reminded myself, _but mostly Fang._

_---------------  
_

Strapped to a table, Fang couldn't move. The table next to him was covered in devices that Fang honestly didn't want to know about.

He did know that he'd find out shortly.

A tall, thin man with squinty eyes walked up. "Will you be telling us anything? Or do you need encouragement?"

Inspired by Jacob's resistance, Fang looked the man in the eyes. "Eat shit."

"I was afraid of that," the man sighed. He picked up a syringe. "Feel free to start talking anytime. I don't enjoy this, and you sure won't." He looked at Fang. "One last chance."

Fang responded by shifting his arm, clearly asking for the injection. The man sighed, and the torture began.

---------------


	11. Captives, Come Home!

**Maximum Ride: Saving the World?**

**Part One: Rebellion**

**Chapter 11: Captives, Come Home!**

**"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." -JFK**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, or anything else mentioned in this story.**

---------------

I sat silently in the shadows, listening intently. Nothing. Catlike, I snuck along the dock, careful to stay in the shadow of the huge battleship behind me. The sun was only just now rising, so if I wanted to make my move, now would be the time. I stopped– in the morning silence, my footsteps stood out like gunshots. I spread my wings and launched myself forward, gliding along stealthily. I heard footsteps quickly coming my way, so I dove down and grabbed on to the edge of the dock, so I hung below, out of sight, yet I could hear everything.

The footsteps grew louder- there were two people. Two men, because women's footsteps aren't as heavy.

"Is there anything left to prepare for the prisoner transport?"

"No, the _Porter_ has been fully prepared for its journey, those prisoners will be safely out of the country by tomorrow. Plus, intelligence suggests the Rebels are using a port in Russia as a naval base, which the _Porter_ will be near, should action be required."

"Good. The _Porter _leaves port at 0900, correct?"

"Correct. It is necessary that we…" The voices faded off into silence as the men walked past. I silently swung myself back onto the deck and leapt into the sky, flying over the _USS Porter,_ off to cancel its mission.

---------------

There was a commotion outside. Yelling, gunshots, more yelling… Fang rose along with most of the other prisoners. They had lost track of time, but deep down Fang knew they had been captive for only a few days, max.

Max…

Suddenly he turned and dropped to the floor, shaking Iggy awake. "Iggy! Get up! Max is here!"

He struggled to sit up. "Oh no, she got captured too?"

Fang sighed. "No, she's busting us out!"

"Really? I don't see her," Iggy pointed out.

"Well, she's not here _yet,_ but I swear, I can feel it…" Iggy was smiling, and Fang realized his mistake. "Well, it's nice to see this ordeal hasn't killed your sense of humor, but seriously, _get up._ And gimme a hand with Austin, we're not leaving him behind." Just then, there was an explosion, and when the dust cleared, there was a huge hole in the wall, with a familiar silhouette in the middle…

---------------

As the smoke cleared and the alarms blared, I peered through the gaping hole in the wall at the group of warriors I had left behind in Washington just a few days prior. I was looking for one in particular.

"Max?" I heard him ask, as he stepped out of the shadows.

I didn't even respond, I simply ran straight to him, into his warm embrace.

The next few minutes flew by. I had to help get Austin up (he didn't look too good), then I had to lead the way out of the building, since I was the only one armed and not half-dead. Against all odds, we managed to make it outside the base's boundaries alive.

"Uh, how are we gonna get out of here?" asked one of the Aliens. _Crap,_ I thought. _I was planning on just flying away, but…_

The leader– his name was Jacob, I think– stepped in and said, "We'll find a way. Now let's get the hell out of here!"

---------------

When we finally pulled our stolen tractor trailer to a stop at the Florida base hours later, I stepped out to be attacked by a Nudge-hug. "OMG Max you saved them! That makes you, like, super-incredible! I mean, more super-incredible than normal! You–" I clamped a hand over her mouth and looked over her shoulder. All of Squad A1 had shown up, minus the ones still getting out of the truck. One glance at Angel, and I knew why.

_You knew we were coming, didn't you?_ I thought to her.

_Yeah, I felt a bunch of happy, as in, we're-back happy, and I knew it was you._

_Good job, baby. Good job._

"Max," Nudge asked, "How did you do it?" I was about to start explaining, when I suddenly realized exactly how I'd done it.

_Oh my God…_ I thought, and I broke away from my friends and flew up into a high branch.

_Oh my God, what have I done? _I thought, on the verge of tears.

_You acted out of hate, Max,_ The Voice said._ It wasn't really you._

_No, I… I… I _killed_ someone. Not like in battle, that's self-defense. I _killed_ someone, looked into their eyes, and I decided to end that life…_

_Max, you were doing what you had to do…_

_SHUT UP! I was NOT doing what I had to do! I was being selfish! I was wrong! I was… was… "…_exactly what I'm fighting," I finished out loud. "I'm turning into my own enemy. I…" I didn't finish. I leaned my head against the tree and cried.

---------------

Fang couldn't sleep. He was back in his barracks, in the bunk above Iggy, listening to the blind one snoring away, but he couldn't stop thinking about… it. He didn't even know what it was, but… he had seen it. The determination those Aliens had. How they refused to give in, how they fought death, even when in was snarling in their face. They had their beliefs, and they refused to give them up.

Fang looked out the window. He had those beliefs too. He was willing to fight to the death for them.

He had received an offer…

But no, he couldn't leave. Could he?

He climbed down from his bed and leapt out the window, into the night. There was something about flying that put everything in perspective… Something that made it easier to make choices.

He needed all the help he could get. It was going to be a long night.

---------------


	12. Alien Youth, Plus One

**Maximum Ride: Saving the World?**

**Part One: Rebellion**

**Chapter 12: Alien Youth, Plus One**

**"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." -JFK**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, or anything else mentioned in this story.**

---------------

I yawned and walked into the kitchen. The rest of the Flock, sans Fang, were there, and so were Sam and Vic. Austin was still at the EMC, and Paul and Kevin were there keeping him company. I grabbed a plate and sat down at the table. Iggy had put out a _lot_ of scrambled eggs, so I heaped some onto my plate and started chowing down. "Hey Iggy, we gonna have anything else?"

"Pancakes and sausages on the way, oh bossy one," Iggy replied sarcastically.

"Har-dee-har-har. On a completely unrelated note, has anyone seen Fang?" I asked.

"Nope," answered the Gasman.

"The Prince of Darkness is probably still sleeping in his royal bed of emo-ness," Iggy laughed.

"I didn't see him in his bed," I pointed out.

"Yeah, well, doesn't he disappear if he stays still long enough?" Nudge said. "I mean, I don't think he, like, runs a mile in his sleep or anything. Most people stay pretty still, and if anyone is gonna stay still forever, it'd be Fang. Hey, if Fang went into a coma, would anyone notice? I mean, maybe Angel could hear his thoughts and figure it out. Angel, have you ever read anyone's mind while they're in a coma?"

Angel didn't respond. Instead, everyone stood up and moved to the couch.

"What?" Nudge complained. "I don't talk _that_ much! I mean, sure, once I get going, it's hard to stop me, but, I mean…"

"Nudge! Shut! Up!" Iggy yelled.

I would have intervened, but the doorbell rang. Yeah, our cabin-thing has a doorbell. It's a legit home, except no peephole. So I had no idea who would be at the door.

It was… one of _them._

"What do _you_ want?" I asked the Alien in the doorway. The Alien Youth guy just looked at me, right into my eyes.

"Hello?" I asked. "Earth to painted-face? Anyone home?" I swear, I think I saw an emotion change. Imagine that! An emotion change, in one of those freaks!

"Max," he said sadly, almost begging me, but for what, I didn't know.

"How did you.." I started, then something clicked. At the same time, I felt something breaking inside me. "F- Fang?" I stuttered.

It was him. He had traded in his normal black for their white hoodie, and he wore the unmistakable black face paint of the Aliens.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier," he said. "But we're leaving here today, and I made the choice last night. I didn't get the chance."

"We?" I asked venomously. "We? Are you serious? You're… you're…" My voice started cracking. It felt like someone was tearing my heart out with a rusty spoon, one scoop at a time.

"Max," he begged, "I want you to know…" He brushed some hair out of my eyes and pulled me closer. "…that this is the right path for me. And, no matter what happens, I'll always love you." He gently pulled my chin up to kiss me.

"No." I tore myself away and said, "I love Fang. I don't love you. I'll never love one of you." I saw my words stab his heart like a dagger. I felt tears coming, so I slammed the door in his face and ran through the kitchen.

"What the-" I heard Iggy say, but I was already past him, already into the girls' room, face down on my bed, crying my heart out.

---------------

"Max?" someone asked.

"Go away," I mumbled into my pillow. I heard the door open anyway, and someone sat down on the bed next to me. I looked up and saw Sam, the hated Sam from Virginia, sitting next to me.

"Come on," he said, and helped me up into a sitting position. "What happened? Did he really-"

"WHY?" I screamed and started sobbing into Sam's shoulder. He was surprised at first, then came around and started to comfort me.

"Come on, don't worry about it. All us guys are like that. If he's going to leave like that, then you're better off without him. We all are."

I looked up at him. "Really? Are you…"

"Yes," he said, "Now relax. Let him go." And I admit, I started to do just that. _It'll take a while, _I thought, _but I can forget him._

_Max,_ The Voice warned, _slow down. Don't-_

_Shut up Voice, this was his decision, not mine._ I was starting to feel happy again. Sam was rubbing my back lightly, and then he surprised the crap out of me when he kissed my forehead.

I jumped up and looked at him like he was crazy. "Sorry," he said. "I went a bit too far there."

"No, it's okay, I was just surprised." I leaned back up against him and closed my eyes as the comfort began again.

"Max?" Sam asked.

"Mmhmm?"

"Look at me." I did. "Look, I'm sorry about everything. About Fang, about how I've ignored you since you showed up a few months ago, even about what happened years ago in Virginia. I just want to go back to where we were back then, before all of this happened."

I didn't really grasp exactly what he meant immediately, I was just relieved he didn't say something like, "I'm gay." "I do too," I said, and was honestly shocked when he pressed his lips against mine.

My mind shorted out for a minute, as about a million emotions tried to connect themselves to thoughts in my head. Finally, one pulled itself together and wandered into my consciousness. _Oh, that's what he meant._

_Max,_ The Voice cautioned.

_Hmm, The Voice, here to offer more annoying advice. What was it you once said? Go with the flow? Okay._ And I did, wrapping my arms around Sam and kissing back. I needed to escape, and escape had changed its name to Sam.

And interruption had changed its name to Iggy. We both froze as he walked into the room. For once, I was happy he was blind. But he sensed I was in the room. "Max? You in here?" He reached forward and touched Sam. "Oh, sorry Sam, I thought Max was in here…" His hand slid downward and touched my wing, which was wrapped around Sam. When did that get there?

"Wait, Max? This is her wing…" He moved his hand from San to my wing and back, putting two and two together. Then he turned and stormed out.

"Crap," I said, and I immediately ran after him.

---------------

"Iggy!" I called, running to catch up with him. He was outside, storming down the path in a fit of blind rage. Okay, well it's always a blind anything with Iggy, but you get the picture.

"No, Max!" he yelled. "I'm done!"

"What? What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"I can't believe you! Why can't you think of anyone else for once?" He was madder than I'd ever seen him before. "First Fang leaves, and I swear, I'll kill the bastard if I get the chance, and now this? Are you trying to tear us apart? Did you even consider what the others would think? Did you think about anyone other than yourself? Do you ever? I'm done. I'm going to take Nudge, Gaz, and Angel, and make sure they're alright. I'm going to do what's best for them. If you want to join us, that's up to you, but you're not calling the shots. Not anymore. I'm keeping the Flock together, no matter how little of the Flock is left." He turned and stormed away, leaving me standing there, my mouth wide open in shock.

---------------

I just wandered, not paying attention to anything. I had no idea where I was going or why I was going there, as long as it was somewhere else.

I didn't notice Kurt until I ran into him.

"OHMYGOD! I'm soooo sorry," I said as I helped him up. Jeez, this guy has the knack to show up just when you need him, or just when you don't.

"Oh, it's no problem," he said, dusting himself off. "In fact, I was just looking for you." His cheerful attitude suddenly turned somber. "I know you're going through some tough times right now, and I know you probably want to get away. Well, the "incident" in Washington kinda is forcing us to accelerate our schedule. One area that needs help is Colombia."

"Colombia?" I asked.

"Mmhm. We're backing one of the rebel groups there, and we need them to overthrow the government sooner than planned. The thing is, they're not ready. They need help from someone who's trained better than they are."

"Wait," I said, "Are you saying I should go and take over for them?"

"Yes and no," he said. "It's safe to say that Squad A1 will be out of commission for a while, so I'm asking you guys to go down there and help them, train them, and lead them. It'd be a huge help. You're not required to do it, but-"

"I'll do it." Anything to get out of here.

Anything to escape.

And that's how I ended up on a military plane flying south, running away from my old life.

---------------


	13. Colombian Exchange

**Maximum Ride: Saving the World?**

**Part One: Rebellion**

**Chapter 13: Colombian Exchange**

**"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." -JFK**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, or anything else mentioned in this story.**

---------------

If there's a God, he sure knows that I needed the sleep.

So what if I was lazy and took a plane to Colombia? I wasn't flying there myself. I've been going through hell. Give a girl a break, huh?

This would be interesting. Something told me these guys down in South America wouldn't like some teenage American coming in and taking over their whole damn operation, wings or not.

_Speaking of those guys… _I thought, checking my briefing packet-thingy. These guys were from the Revolutionary Armed Colombian Liberation Army Force or something. They were older than the Rebel Army, and they'd aligned themselves with the Crown of Thorns. I still didn't know much about the organization that controlled all of this, except that it was probably better _not_ to know.

Whatever. Back to the matter at hand. I was taking over. As in total control over these guys. They fight where I tell them to, when I tell them to. _I probably should have learned Spanish…_

The packet said they'd been using guerilla warfare throughout their entire existence. It was my job to severely weaken the government, so when the time came, something could happen. More Crown of Thorns secrecy…

But anyway, screw that guerilla crap. With me in charge, they wouldn't know what hit them. I needed to escape for a time, but I had no intentions of staying in Colombia forever. I wanted to get back to the Flock as soon as possible.

You know, the only group of mutants still ticking together. All four of them. With a blind leader.

_God, I was stupid._

_And so was Fang._

_Jeez, Iggy's the only one with his heart in the right place. That's new._

I suddenly was filled with regret. I wanted to turn back more than anything… But I couldn't. I had a job to do.

When I have a job to do, I do my job.

Even if I have to choke back tears.

---------------

Three months down. A long way to go. These bastards hated my guts, but it was a respectful hate. They saw what they were becoming. Sure, I was brutal. Sure, I was taking out my emotions on them every day.

So what if I was treading the line between training and torture? The mishmash of rebellious souls and brainwashed youth had turned into a legitimate force, thanks to_ moi._

I turned to my best friend and hand-picked second-in-command, Maria Guiterrez. "They're almost ready," I commented as I observed the results of a recent exercise. Every single person in my command was getting better, and it showed.

Maria nodded. "Other leaders eating their old words now, I right?" she replied in broken English.

"Sure as hell," I grinned back, remembering the less-than-warm welcome when I stepped off the plane to meet the hardened rebels who had, up until that point, been the leaders of this little rebellion. To put it lightly, they were not remotely glad to know they were being replaced by "una chica americana", even if this _chica americana_ had wings and could whoop all their asses at once.

But now they were singing a different tune. Instead of kicking them out and taking supreme control, I played nice and took a small part of their army as my own. But even they couldn't deny that in just three months, I had a formidable force at my disposal. Now, halfway to the unwritten deadline to severely weaken the Colombian government, it looked like I'd be leading the entire army to war after all.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Maria, noticing my zone-out-ness.

"Nothing really," I replied, "just how far we've come in the last few months. I'm actually kinda glad I came here." I was only being semi-honest. Yeah, this whole thing was proving to be exactly what I needed, but each day brought more pain. I wanted the Flock back; heck, I wanted to know how they were doing. I hadn't talked to any of them since Iggy yelled at me all those weeks ago.

"I'm glad that you came here too," Maria said, "because now I have friend, and almost family too." You see, she's one of those girls that got kidnapped and forced to join when she was really young. She was the first to stand up to me when things started getting rough, flat-out refusing to participate in an exercise and earning my respect. That respect had led to the best friendship I ever had with someone I didn't share DNA with. Seriously.

And as for the family part? I encouraged the soldiers to grow together as a group, and they sure had. If it wasn't war, I would have looked forward to fighting with them.

But it was war. I couldn't forget that.

Speaking of war, we were supposed to get serious soon. I had three months to bring down the government, at least to weaken it severely.

Which meant I needed to control the whole damn army, not just this little portion. Time to get those other guys to give in to my lab-scientist-given authority.

By force.

Hey, all's fair in love and war, right?

---------------


	14. The End

**Alright, so you may have noticed a huge decline in update frequency. For some stories, it's a complete and total stoppage.**

**Yeah, I noticed too. And there are reasons for each case, but I'm not gonna get into those. I'm gonna keep this simple.**

**The other day, I was talking to Saint about FF. More specifically, how I hated doing tons of Q&A chaps for MM&aDK, didn't know where LL was going, couldn't get any inspiration to continue STW?, etc. And then, of course, she asked the million-dollar question:**

_Saint: ...Here's my question...Do you enjoy writing FF?_

**Well, I thought about that for a bit, and (as you've probably guessed by now), I realized the answer is no. Not anymore. It's become more of a hassle, it's just not as fun anymore. That phase of my life has passed.**

**Since I've been dealing with depression and other fun stuff like that, the less hassles I have, the better. So, well, I'm not gonna write FF anymore. Plain and simple.**

**Now, I don't know if I'm done for good. I have plenty of ideas, I just don't have the inspiration or motivation to bring them into fruition. Maybe I'll start writing again someday, but for now, I'm done.**

**And now, so this doesn't make you depressed, here's a joke:**

**Why was six afraid of seven?**

**It wasn't. Numbers are inanimate objects and are as such incapable of feeling fear.**

**Heheheh...**

**Alright, that'll do it. Thanks for sticking with my craziness for so long, everyone. See ya.**


End file.
